What does this excavation support and shoring rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering design documents on site, wall members, anchors and bracing, groundwater, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The GC's superintendent with the shoring subcontractor's foreman, and the shoring engineer's field rep on proof-load days.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

As each lift is excavated and supported: member installation, lagging, anchors and bracing all get checked before the next lift is dug, since the design assumes support keeps pace with the cut.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

7 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an excavation support and shoring rough-in inspection?

Soldier piles or sheets driven to a shallower tip than the design embedment because obstructions were hit, and the cut proceeds anyway. Lagging left behind the excavation face, so soil ravels and voids form between the boards before they're placed. A tieback locked off without a witnessed proof load, so a marginal anchor isn't found until the wall starts moving.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Excavation support and shoring

Excavation support and shoring rough-in inspection checklist

Excavation support and shoring rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against the project geotechnical report and specifications, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Design documents on site

Approved shoring submittal on site at its current revision
Shoring drawings and calculations stamped by the shoring engineer, with the engineer of record's review, in the field set; superseded sheets marked void.
No photo
Pre-construction condition survey of neighboring property on file
Dated photos or a survey report of existing cracks and settlement on adjacent buildings, walks, streets and utilities on file before the first member goes in.
No photo

Wall members

Member size, spacing and embedment match the engineered design
Soldier pile or sheet section, spacing and tip elevation checked against the shoring drawings, embedment below subgrade verified, not assumed from the driving length.
Lagging installed tight to the face as excavation proceeds
Lagging placed promptly behind the face each lift, boards in full contact with soil, voids packed, no unsupported height left open.
Member section markings matched to the approved submittal
Beam size, sheet section stamp or heat marks on the steel delivered to site photographed and matched to the section and grade on the shoring submittal.
Lagging thickness and flange bearing per the shoring drawings
At soldier-pile walls, lagging board thickness and grade match the drawings, and each board bears on the pile flanges by the length the drawings detail.
No photo

Anchors and bracing

Tieback or anchor installation and proof load observed
Anchor drilled and grouted to the design length and inclination, proof or performance load witnessed and recorded against the acceptance criteria before lock-off.
No photo
Wales and internal bracing installed and connected
Wale sections, struts and connections match the design, bearing tight, no missing bolts or field-cut members reducing capacity.
Lock-off load recorded for each tieback against the submittal value
Where tiebacks are used, the load each anchor is locked off at is logged by anchor number and compared with the lock-off value on the approved shoring submittal.
No photo

Groundwater

Dewatering keeping the cut and subgrade stable
Groundwater drawn below the working level per the dewatering plan, no piping or boiling at subgrade, discharge running clear rather than carrying fines.
Surface water behind the top of the wall directed away from the face
Ground or paving behind the wall sloped, bermed or curbed so runoff does not pour over the face or soak the retained soil; low spots behind the wall filled.

Daily records

Competent person's inspection record exists for today's shift
A dated record from the designated competent person covering the shored excavation for today, made before crews entered, and redone after rain or any change.
No photo
Shoring foreman's installation log current through today's work
Log shows each pile or sheet with its tip depth and each anchor or brace with its length and test result, updated through today's lift.
No photo
Differing conditions reported to the shoring engineer
Obstructions, short embedment, running or wet soil, or utilities in an anchor path written up to the shoring engineer, with the response logged.
No photo
Ground behind the wall walked for new cracks after each lift
Paving, curbs and ground behind the wall looked at after each lift; new cracks or settlement marked with the date and photographed for the shoring engineer.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Soldier piles or sheets driven to a shallower tip than the design embedment because obstructions were hit, and the cut proceeds anyway.
Lagging left behind the excavation face, so soil ravels and voids form between the boards before they're placed.
A tieback locked off without a witnessed proof load, so a marginal anchor isn't found until the wall starts moving.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this excavation support and shoring rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering design documents on site, wall members, anchors and bracing, groundwater, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The GC's superintendent with the shoring subcontractor's foreman, and the shoring engineer's field rep on proof-load days.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: As each lift is excavated and supported: member installation, lagging, anchors and bracing all get checked before the next lift is dug, since the design assumes support keeps pace with the cut.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 7 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an excavation support and shoring rough-in inspection?: Soldier piles or sheets driven to a shallower tip than the design embedment because obstructions were hit, and the cut proceeds anyway. Lagging left behind the excavation face, so soil ravels and voids form between the boards before they're placed. A tieback locked off without a witnessed proof load, so a marginal anchor isn't found until the wall starts moving.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 10 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.